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This memo was drafted by GreenBizCheck on 9 November 2012.
Category: Business management Sub-category: General

How to “Green” your business and increase your profits!

Sustainability in business is about making responsible decisions that will reduce your business' negative impact on the environment.

With increasing pressure for business to become more sustainable and constantly rising energy prices we have compiled a list of our top 20 tips for business to become more sustainable. The best part about this is you will end up running a more efficient office and you will reduce your costs.

1. Switch off all lights when not in use (especially at night, weekends, holidays).

2. Turn off all IT equipment and other electrical appliances when not in use.

3. Make sure all electrical items are switched off at the power point when not in use for extended periods.

4. Disable screen savers as they often use more energy than less.

5. Make sure the heating and cooling are set to the recommended 24 degrees in summer and 21 degrees in winter.

6. Walk, ride a bike or take public transport to work.

7. Teleconference rather than make unnecessary trips.

8. Recycle everything you can.

9. Strive to operate a paperless office – Imagine how much money you can save if you do not have to print or send invoices to your clients.

10. Install a water filter instead of purchasing bottled water.
11. Introduce a Cloud document system, which will allow you to reduce the amount of IT equipment you use.

12. Allow telecommuting at least one day a week, if it’s feasible for your company. By doing this, you reduce the energy produced in the office. Employees can reduce their carbon footprint (Petrol or public transportation once a week as well.)

13. Place a 2 litre milk container in the cistern of each toilet in your workplace, this will mean a saving of 2 litres of water every time you flush.

Instead of printing a document and throwing it out after, reuse it to print on the
blank side of the paper. It will cut your paper costs dramatically.

15. Limit the use of air conditioners – Open the windows during the days whenever
possible and turn off the A/C. Never leave the A/C on during the night or over
weekends.

16. Purchase used and reconditioned office furniture or store fixtures, available
through local firms, and donate furnishings when you remodel.

17. Eliminate unused computer programs – You should note that the extra programs
running in the background eat up your system resources, which requires more
electricity, thereby heating your system which releases more heat for the
environment to fight with.

18. Utilise Recycled Ink Cartridges – Instead of throwing out your printer cartridge
out when it runs out of toner (or ink), hold onto it. There are recycled printer
cartridge stores (and online as well) that will give you a discount on a
replacement recycled printer cartridge. Not only are you saving money, but also
helping to reduce the amount of printer cartridges that end up in landfills across
the country.

19. Make sure your recycle centres are set up in kitchens and at printers, research
shows if you provide an easy solution staff will always make the better choice for
the environment.

20. Promote “Green” Practices - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. There are the three Rs
and are on their way to becoming good business practice for many small
businesses for going Green. It is the buzz going on these days. Promoting green
practices can be helpful to your Business success.

Whilst many of these tips seem like easy cost effective actions, it is surprising how many
businesses don’t actually implement them into their routines.

We hope that we have given you enough information to start your sustainability and cost
reduction journey.

Disclaimer
This memo has been drafted by GreenBizCheck to assist RCSA Members with a general understanding of the subject matter. This memo does not purport to be an exhaustive statement of all the legal or best practice requirements in the area. It is provided to RCSA Members as a guide only. Members are encouraged to obtain further advice from an appropriate professional source.